Hitchcock (Sacha Gervasi) - 2012

This is certainly not a comprehensive biography of Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) but rather an examination of the making of his most popular movie - Psycho.  Anthony Hopkins makes a valiant attempt as the lead actor but he suffers somewhat from a script that requires him to be constantly drinking or eating mass quantities.  Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson and Toni Collette are excellent as the respective spouse, star and secretary.  Mr. Hitchcock would not appreciate this film that spent more time on his shortcomings than his talents.  Director Gervasi did succeed by recreating the movie studio atmosphere circa 1960.  Current moviegoers must be surprised by the hoops that directors had to negotiate in order to satisfy mid-20th century censors.  Hitchcock was able to deliver entertaining stories within the strict schedules and low budgets of the day.  Although flawed, the movie offers a time machine to those of us who remember the innocence of an earlier time before computers changed our world.  [JAM 1/16/2013]